Fixed Stars
$59.00
Description
This selected list of fixed stars includes 465 stars, 37 deep space objects and 109 Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) – 611 total. It is comprised of all the stars listed at Constellation of Words and at Astrodienst including a few extra, all linked to these sources, Wikipedia or elsewhere. The star names in these two sources are used or an alternate name and are sorted by the constellation in which they exist in zodiacal order. The FRBs are sorted by the date of detection.
In addition, we provide one of the many SIMBAD identifiers of each object linked as well, with the Bayer designation, the Bright Star Catalogue (HR) number, the Henry Draper Catalogue (HD) number, the constellation and the visual magnitude.
For any birth or event date we provide the Ecliptic Longitude (LON) and Latitude (LAT), as well as the Galactic LON and LAT of the selected fixed stars and deep space objects, as determined by SIMBAD to a precision of 0.01 arc second. For comparison we provide the Ecliptic LON and LAT, as well as the Right Ascension (RA) and Declination (DEC), as determined by the Astrodienst Swiss Ephemeris (SE) to the same “precision” of 0.01 arc second.
SE calculations are based upon a standalone text file (sefxstars.txt) that was last modified on 2018-10-26. All SE-based software (e.g., Solar Fire, Sirius, Planetdance, Astrolog, etc.) use this outdated text file with RA, DEC, etc., derived mostly from SIMBAD prior to the modification date. Those who have looked carefully at this text file know, of course, of the many discrepancies in those RA and DEC values, that the accuracy claim in the SE Documentation (cf. Sec. 2.6) is a misrepresentation. We, therefore, recommend and promote using the current ICRS RA and DEC tabulated at SIMBAD on which their other coordinate calculations (e.g., Ecliptic and Galactic LON and LAT) are based. We also list the difference in Ecliptic LON calculation between these two – SIMBAD and SE. Upon customer request we can sort the data by any of the fields listed, e.g., Ecliptic or Galactic LON, LAT, DEC, HR or HD number, etc.
The 37 deep space objects include the Galactic Center (Sgr A*), the Great Attractor, Andromeda (M37), Virgo A (M87), the Shapley Supercluster and other interesting quasars, SMBHs, supernovas, pulsars, etc. Of the FRBs that we list, the most notable is FRB 200428, detected on April 28, 2020, 14:34:33 UT, the first ever recorded within our Milky Way, and the first ever to be linked to a known source, i.e., magnetar SGR 1935+2154. These FRBs are an interesting subject for astrological research, calculations not available with other services or software.
The Fixed Stars product is an Excel password-protected file.
“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars and see yourself running with them.”
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
